Outdoor Industry Association and Outdoor Alliance Commend Congress on the Introduction of the Recreation Not Red-Tape Act

July 26, 2017

Today, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT) introduced a bipartisan bill that will update processes and policies on our national public lands to improve the outdoor recreation experience. The Recreation Not Red-Tape Act (RNR) aims to reduce barriers to outdoor recreation access and improve public land management for Americans who enjoy skiing, climbing, boating, mountain biking, hiking, ATVing, fishing, hunting, camping, paddling and more on public lands and waters.

Like last year’s REC Act, the RNR Act is a commonsense bipartisan plan for improving outdoor recreation on our public lands and growing the outdoor recreation economy. Outdoor Industry Association and Outdoor Alliance are particularly excited by the inclusion of a new organic designation, National Recreation Areas, that will offer tailored management for landscapes with highly valuable outdoor recreation resources.

“As evidenced by the $887 billion in consumer spending and the 7.6 million jobs supported by the outdoor industry, recreation on public lands is as popular in the 21st century as any other time in our nation’s history, and it’s one of our biggest economic drivers,” said Amy Roberts, Outdoor Industry Association’s executive director. “Unfortunately, many of the regulations and agency policies that govern our public land’s use are outdated. We support the bipartisan effort of Senator Wyden and Chairman Bishop to update antiquated processes and reduce barriers to recreation for today’s outdoor users. We believe the pragmatic approach of the Recreation Not Red-Tape bill will lead to healthier communities and healthier economies across the country.” “Millions of Americans enjoy outdoor recreation on our national public lands,” said Adam Cramer, executive director of the Outdoor Alliance. “We are pleased to see the bipartisan effort of Senator Wyden and Chairman Bishop to streamline and improve outdoor recreation access for all Americans. The Recreation Not Red-Tape Act provides commonsense tools for improving access to outdoor recreation. It will foster better tailored land management and help protect more public land for its recreation value as well protecting habitats, clean air and water.”As outdoor recreation grows in popularity and in economic impact, land management agencies need updated tools to protect and improve access to America’s public lands and waters. The RNR Act offers sensible, non-controversial proposals for identifying, protecting and appropriately managing important places for outdoor recreation.